Business services specialist Commercial Group, operator of the UK’s largest hydrogen-enabled commercial fleet, has announced plans to further reduce carbon emissions from its delivery vehicles.

Uk’s largest hydrogen-enabled commercial fleet

It is taking part in two Government-funded projects on technology innovation for zero emission delivery vehicles and has achieved official ‘Go Ultra Low Company’ status after deploying its first electric van.

The Government-funded projects, part of the Low Emission Freight and Logistics Trial, are being led by Arcola Energy and ULEMCo. The goal is to develop zero and low emissions technologies with the capability to power large delivery vehicles that cover a wide range.

Arcola Energy is developing the UK’s first hydrogen-electric hybrid drivetrain for the most popular commercial vehicle type, the 3.5T van. This will be installed in a Commercial Group van with a 1,000kg payload and trialled across an operating range of up to 120 miles.

The ULEMCo project involves the deployment of trucks and vans fitted with hydrogen dual-fuel technology, with Commercial Group subsidiary Wiles Greenworld operating two delivery vans powered by hydrogen dual-fuel in the London area.

Separately, Commercial Group is now using a Nissan e-NV200 electric van, rather than a diesel vehicle, to deliver office supplies to customers in West London. Use of the van, coupled with a commitment to ensure at least 5% of its fleet comprises plug-in electric vehicles by 2020, has helped the Group secure Go Ultra Low Company status.

Commercial Group senior sustainability executive Andrew McKenzie said: “It’s 10 years since we started looking at ways to minimise the carbon emissions of our delivery vehicles. We had a lot of success initially, cutting emissions by around 70% in three years. However, until now, newer technologies for low or zero-emission vehicles have not been suitable for large vans with a high payload and wide operating range. We’re determined to play an active role in the development of solutions that overcome this challenge.”